


Like Gold

by manicpation



Series: Sugar Daddy AU [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manicpation/pseuds/manicpation
Summary: Iwaizumi and Oikawa start seeing their relationship in a new light, for better or worse.





	Like Gold

“Iwaizumi-san, phone call for you,” the tinoy rings with Kindaichi’s voice. Iwaizumi tears his eyes, dry and tired, from his screen to answer the phone.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” he answers, curt and professional.

“Iwa-chan!!”

“Hi, Oikawa,” he says and smiles, turn around in his office chair to look at the night sky in front of him. 

“Can you send Mad dog-chan to get me some things?”

“Why don’t you just text him yourself?”

“He doesn’t answer my texts!!”

Iwaizumi heaves an amused sigh.

“Okay, okay, what do you want?”

“Not want, need!” 

“Okay, Oikawa, what do you need?”

“Black cod and white miso.”

“Hm, sounds fancy.”

“Maybe,” Oikawa sing-songs with a drawn out ‘eee’ sound. 

Iwaizumi doesn’t have time to think it over too far before a knock sounds at his door and Kindaichi pokes his head in, waving a small stack of papers. 

“Sorry, Oikawa, I gotta go, I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Bye, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says in a what is almost a purr. It makes Iwaizumi groan internally. He’s been working long hours, pushing work through for an international client that changes deadlines faster than people change socks. 

Kindaichi sheepishly walks into his office.

“Sorry, Iwaizumi-san, here’s the newest faxes from your client.”

At this, Iwaizumi groans out loud. He’s been working day and night for days now, he’s tired and he wants to  _ go home. _

“You mean home to your loverboy?’” Kindaichi quips.

Shit, he’d said that out loud.  

Iwaizumi palms his eyes and slides his hands down his face with an even louder groan.

“I think Oikawa is rubbing off on you,” Kindaichi says as he sets the stack of papers on Iwaizumi’s desk and goes to water the still-kicking plant in the corner.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Iwaizumi asks as he eyes Kindaichi suspiciously. 

“Nothing,”  Kindaichi shrugs, “you just spend a lot of time together is all. You text and talk on the phone all the time. He meets you for lunch. You get a dopey look on your face sometimes when you think no one can see you.”

“Hey!”

Kindaichi continues on, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you two were dating.”

“What? No, no, that’s not...no. Oikawa and I are completely aware of what we are. And we just so happen to really like each other’s company. Is spending so much time with someone really that bad?Isn’t that what you wanted in the first place? You said I was a sad-sack.”

“No, I said you looked lonely and married to your job.”

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “What do you want, Kindaichi?”

“I just want you to be careful. You’re falling for him but, I dunno, you said he’s been working hard on his book, quit his job - “

“ - because he hated it - “

“And what if his writing career takes off and he doesn’t need someone to take care of him?”

“He was doing just fine on his own before I came along.”

“You can’t deny that having a rich guy give you everything you want and them some isn’t better than a one bedroom apartment next to an american diner in a less than satisfactory part of town. I just want you to be happy; I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Iwaizumi’s mouth shifts from a tight line to a what Kindaichi might call a small smile. 

“I know, Kin, I know. I appreciate it.”

“Come on, I’ll help you finish these so you can get home and I can stop looking at you pout.”   
“I’m not pouting!” Iwaizumi laughs.

“See, just like Oikawa, I told you he’s rubbing off on you.”   
Iwaizumi ends the conversation with a light smack to the back of Kindaichi’s head. 

“Iwa-chan, welcome home!” Oikawa announces with a dramatic sweep of his arms as Iwaizumi walks in the door. “I have dinner for you!”

“Oh?” Iwaizumi asks. He immediately remembers Oikawa’s request for groceries earlier.

“Yup! Now come on, drop your stuff and follow me. Close your eyes!”

Iwaizumi agrees and follows Oikawas lead into his dining room.

“Okay, open them!”

Iwaizumi opens his eyes and is met with a perfectly executed dinner set up - his fine china that he inherited (and never uses), champagne glasses (used once), and a new looking tablecloth (did he ever have one to begin with?) and…..take out pad thai?

“Oh, um, this looks nice...I, uh, love pad thai,” Iwaizumi stumbles out, confused.

Oikawa comes up behind him and wraps his arms around his waist.

“Yeah, Mad Dog-Chan’s exact words were “im not ur errand boy”” with air quotation marks, “so I ordered in. Hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Not disappointed at all; everything you do makes me happy,” with a kiss on the cheek.

“Good,” Oikawa hums, “lets eat!”

The two eat, sharing details about their day - Oikawa was feverously working on his novel, went to his apartment briefly to wash some clothes and tidy up while Iwaizumi admitted to playing Solitaire on his computer more than actually working.

Iwaizumi fiddles with his chopsticks, frowning and pushing around the same piece of shrimp with slightly too much vigor around his plate.

“Iwa-chan, what's wrong?” Oikawa asks ,ever observant. 

“You know, you’re here a lot…” Iwaizumi begins

“Is that a problem?” Oikawa counters, panic starting to blossom in eyes.

“No, no! Not at all. In fact, that's uh, what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Iwaizumi fiddles uncharacteristically in his seat. “I really enjoy spending time together, and we’re together a lot, and you’re here in my apartment a lot and you have to go over to your apartment a lot. It’s next to a college and you're an adult now!”

“Okayyyy, I don’t see how that has anything to do with anything but go on,” Oikawa replies skeptically.

Iwaizumi takes a deep breath before continuing on. He mentally scolds himself - he is almost 40, not a blushing 18 year old asking his first girlfriend to move in, he’s an adult for heavens sake. 

“Oikawa, instead of having to go from place to place, why don’t you move in with me?”

Oikawa sputters. 

“You want me to move in? Like, here, in your apartment? Me?”

Iwaizumi nods. Dammit, say words, you’re an adult! He clears his throat. “Yes. I like what we have and, and I want to take it to the next level. I want you to move in with me, Oikawa.”

Oikawa looks around, taking everything in - elegant walls and floors. Expensive furniture and appliances.Things that most people dream of. 

“Iwa, uh, I…”

“It would cut back on you having to drive back and forth so much..”

“I just...”

“It’s quieter here you can work on your novel with less distraction…”

“I just can't, though. I’m sorry.”

“I can have Kyoutani help move your...wait what?”

“That would be weird, wouldn’t it? I’m your sugar baby. What, are you gonna pay me to live here? I can't necessarily stop accepting your money,” Oikawa fiddles nervously, picking at skin around his nails, “because I quit my job to focus on my novel…” he trails off nervously.

“Oh, right,” Iwaizumi says, quick and curt.

“Yeah”

Awkward silence descends them, with just the quiet noise of the air conditioning.

“Okay, that’s okay, we’ll keep things the way they are, then,” Iwaizumi says in an oddly neutral tone.

Oikawa gives one exaggerated shake of his head in agreement.

“Well Iwa-chan, I should really head out. I haven’t dusted my apartment in weeks and I’m pretty sure I saw dust bunnies rising up to take over the place.”

“Of course,” Iwaizumi says as he stands up. He helps Oikawa out of his chair and kisses his cheek. “Get home safe.”

As Oikawa walks out, Iwaizumi can't shake the detached feeling, like that feeling after Christmas when all the gifts are open and there’s nothing to look forward to anymore.

 

“Akaashi, what do I do?” Oikawa bemoans and flops his hands down on the bar, putting his head down on them.

“About Iwaizumi-san?”

Oikawa looks up from his hands. “Yes, about ‘Iwaizumi-san’” he sneers. Maybe the fifth cosmo has made him a grumpy drunk. 

Akaashi rolls his eyes. “I think you’re you’re overreacting,” he says, casually popping cheese fries in his mouth. “Mmm, I think the only good thing about college was this place.”

“You’re not helping,” Oikawa mutters. 

“You know, it’s a little unusual for an American themed diner to be serving cosmopolitans..” Akaashi rambles on, mostly to himself. 

Oikawa shrugs, “Guess you just gotta appeal to the demographic. College kids want fast, greasy food and alcohol. Can we please talk about me again, please?”

“Yes, yes about Iwaizumi-san. Why don’t you just continue being whatever it was you were? You go out with him, sleep with him and get paid. I see no problem.”

“Well now you’re making me sound like a hooker!” 

“Listen Oikawa-san, what exactly is the problem?”

“The problem is he likes me!”

“And you like him.”

“Yeah, but,”

“You want your independence yada yada don’t need no man. How’s that going for you really? It seems like you’ve got a man whether you believe it or not and you’re doing just fine. Hell, even better than you were. Those dark circle under your eyes are a lot less prominent now that you’ve quit your job.”

Oikawa puts his head back into his hands. “Why do I even talk to you?” he mumbles.

‘Because I’m always right,” Akaashi responds and clinks his glass to Oikawa’s still sitting on the bar in front of him. 

He hears a ‘hmph!’ from Oikawa.

Akaashi sighs, “I know you want your independence, and to have your book published and be successful and I know you believe that’s your ticket to happiness - achieving a goal after the one you’d been chasing your whole life fell to pieces. But you’re happy with Iwaizumi-san, so why can’t you have both?”

Oikawa levels a glare, which relaxes into stare, at Akaashi.

“You know, Akaashi, maybe hanging out with Bo-kun hasn’t made you any dumber.”

“What the hell is that suppose to mean!?”

 

Oikawa’s been avoiding him, that’s all there is too it. Sure his texts are as energetic and littered with kaomoji as much as normal, but that’s easy to fake. They haven’t gone out on another official date, and the casual lunch meet ups have been….short. Concise. And he keeps finding excuses to avoid coming over. 

 

“I’ve had a breakthrough on my novel!”

“Sorry, I think I ate some bad fish.”

“I’m going to the midnight release of this new video game!”

 

Iwaizumi even offered to go with him to the game store (and buy said game) but was politely shot down. He’s started to near his wits end. 

At Kindaichis insistence he’s left the office ‘to get some fresh air and sunlight’, like he’s some sort of house plant. His mind wanders but his legs automatically take him to that tiny ramen shop he used to frequent, before this whole sugar daddy thing. He orders and sits down, frowning at the paint chipping at the tables like thats miraculously going to fix it, until he sees that exact same couple from months ago, the same couple that spurred him into pursuing being a sugar daddy. He tries to casually look over. They’re close, feet casually knocking together - public, but not overtly. This is the last straw. In a fit of anger he sends a text he will undoubtedly regret.

_ Oikawa, I like having you as my sugar baby but if we can't spend more time together, I don’t see this working out much longer.  _

 

He storms back to his office, not even bothering to get his food. He’s not hungry anymore anyway. He’s met with uncharacteristic quietness - no typing noises, faxes, or coffee brewing The small radio that usually plays in the background isn’t even on. He finds a note from Kindaichi  _ gone home early _ and Iwaizumi yells out loud. Of course. Because now Kindaichi is ignoring him, too.His phone buzzes in his pocket and he feels immediate dread, like a weight has fallen into his stomach. Luckily for him, it’s only Kyoutani.

_ come to your house _

Well if that isn’t cryptic as hell and a little suspicious, Iwaizumi doesn’t know what is. He decides to anyway - not like he was gonna get much work done tonight, and it looks like Kindaichi already closed up shop for the most part. 

Iwaizumi walks home instead of calling Kyoutani to pick him up and spends most of the walk home stewing in his own negative emotions. He’s proud that he finally confronted the elephant in the room instead of ignoring it further. He’s upset with himself that he did it so rudely and abruptly. He’s worried and anxious because he almost doesn’t want to know Oikawa’s answer. He feels like he’s in limbo, but neither option gets him to where he wants. One option is Oikawa agreeing with him and ending what they have and never seeing him again. Another is too just ignore the problem and ghost each other even further. A small part of his brain is optimistic and hopes Oikawa will come back around. Iwaizumi walks through the entrance of the apartment building and the weird red-headed bartender gives him a creepier smile than normal. Iwaizumi thinks it was meant to be nice, but that guy is so strange that he never knows.

He rides the elevator up to his floor and takes off his suit jacket and loosens his tie before even stepping inside.

“Surprise!!!!!” Oikawa jumps in front of him and yells, loudest out of all. Because there is a small assortment of his friends and family in his apartment. He takes a second to take it all in, but when he does, he’s astonished. 

In the middle of the kitchen is a three tiered cake, purple and neon green frosting,  _ definitely _ Oikawa’s doing. Presents on the living room table. Colorful banners line the walls. His sister is holding two balloons, one a 3 and the other an 8. He only gets a second to take it all in before his nieces run up to him and spray him with confetti, laughing excitedly. 

“What….what is all this?” he dumbly mumbles.

“A surprise party for you, silly!” Oikawa exclaims, “I planned it all and got everyone together without you even knowing. Wow you can be so dense sometimes, Iwa-chan.”

“So you haven’t been avoiding me?”

“What, no, what would give you that idea?”

Iwaizumi makes some weak hand gestures before being swept into the kitchen by his nieces, following the chants of  _ cake!cake!cake! _

So he eats cake. And ice cream. And little crab stuffed mushrooms that are a little too fancy and don’t quite compliment the pizza that is brought out later. He visits with his family, gives Kyoutani a light punch to the shoulder for worrying him and accepts an awkward and rushed apology from Kindaichi for leaving work early. He opens presents to find a few new ties, a miniature figurine of Godzilla for his desk, a gift card for going out to eat and a definitely homemade looking picture frame which his sister sharply elbows him with a  _ don't you love it soooo much Hajime, the girls made it just for you! _

After eating and drinking more than his fill and after the guests leave, Iwaizumi finds himself on the balcony, wishing for a cigarette, even though he quit years ago. The urge still hits when he’s got nervous energy - trembling hands trying to be suppressed, shifty eyes, and an overall feeling of unrest. 

“Iwa-chan, you’re thinking too hard, I can see the gears turning in your head,” Oikawa quips as he comes up behind him and wraps his arms around Iwaizumis waist, rests his head on his shoulders. 

Iwaizumi hums and stares up, imagining stars in the sky instead of the muted light of Tokyo and it’s neon hues. 

He sighs. And sighs again. No better time to bite the bullet, he supposes.

“Oikawa, why were you ignoring me?”

At this, he feels Oikawa tense up, but then relax. 

“At first I was, because I was conflicted about changing our dynamic. I was afraid to become reliant on you for money. I was afraid of becoming reliant on you, period. I’ve always valued my independence and the life I’ve carved out by myself, even though it wasn’t quite ideal. I guess maybe I thought that it was….cheating, I guess. Having you love and care for me and support me while I pursued my dreams. And then you asked me to move in and I got scared. But I realized that having you in my life is more doesn’t make me any less independent, it makes me  _ happy _ .

And then came the surprise party, yes very cliche I know, don’t laugh at me, and I wanted to keep it under wraps. Some of the excuses weren’t lies! I did really get diarrhea from that fish!”

Iwaizumi laughs at the absolutely absurdity of that last statement and finds that he can’t stop. It feels like with every guffaw and hiccup, all the built up stress and anxiety leaves his body. 

“I said don’t laugh at me!” Oikawa yells, smiling nonetheless.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Iwaizumi says, “you always tease me for being old but you’re the one having the midlife crisis!”

Watching Oikawa sputter and react gives Iwaizumi the perfect opportunity to turn around and kiss him. 

He kisses him with confidence, with strong, sure hands cupping his face, trying to convey everything he feels into this moment. 

Eventually the part, both of them looking s little flushed and disheveled. Oikawa fixes some stray hairs and clears his throat. “Well, did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?”

“Hmmmm…..no”

“No?”

Iwaizumi turns to look Oikawa in the eye as he grabs his hands. Being sure and straightforward was always been the path to success in his life.    


“Tooru, please, move in with me. Be my boyfriend. I want to be official. I want everybody to know I love you and want to be with you. I’m happier than I ever have been with you by my side.” 

“You...you love me?”

“Yes, dumbass, I thought that was obvious,” Iwaizumi replies as he pulls a tearing up Oikawa into his arms. 

“Yes, yes” Oikawa blubbers as they embrace on the balcony, bathed in Tokyo’s neon starlight as the world seems to stand still.

“I love you, Tooru.”

“I love you, Iwaizumi.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Yoooo thanks for sticking around till the end, I know it's taken forever. All your comments and messages on tumblr are what kept me going through all of this. Hope you enjoyed!


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